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By Captain Pete DelRossi It looks like the 1998 fishing season got off to an early start and is now in high gear. Good catches of weakfish and flounder have been the rule especially from the grounds off the old house and around the upper rips. Good reports have been coming in of stripers in the upper rips. Most of the fish are caught on the chunk, try using the head for bait and the rest of the fish as chunks. Great news from the lower end of the bay around the Slaughter Beach area There have been excellent reports of Black drum caught on surf clams. Weakfish are being caught on top and bottom rigs using whatever bait is available, squid/mackerel combos have been used in place of shedder crabs, but when you can get the crabs use they work best. Flounder are falling for a squid minnow combo, make sure you use a long leader when drifting with enough lead to keep you on the bottom. There is currently a concerted effort going on to stop bunker boats from operating on the bay as well as up to 3 miles offshore. Some care should be taken in addressing this issue before any action is taken one way or another. We have been informed that over 5 fishing these stocks has taken a terrible toll on the existing numbers of fish. If you have been fishing the Del Bay you would find that hard to believe, the summer movement of bunker is a sight to behold, it is not uncommon to see acres of these fish all over the bay. I have been appointed to the Menhaden Committee representing Fortesque. As of this writing, I have not been informed as to which way the committee will vote. What scares me is that if the government starts with the bunker, bait prices will sky-rocket for no good reason other than an entry level advisor has been convinced that bunker are scarce and need to be managed. We don't need any more restrictions on fishing, God knows we already overburdened with restrictions. The sad truth is many of the new regulations are based upon incorrect data. The real problem is that once a restriction is put in place it is impossible to get it removed. Until next time.... Tight Lines Capt. Pete DelRossi Return to |
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Finder Magazine |
